THQ going platform-specific

PALGN News | Less ports, more targeted releases.

In a very welcome (and potentially controversial) move, THQ has turned away from releasing ports, and is focusing on releasing platform-specific titles from now on. This is a significant break from the latest industry trend of porting the same title to everything, from a Nintendo DS to a Sony PS3.

Most within the industry believe the only way to offset the large development costs associated with "HD" / next-gen development is to create as much platform coverage as possible, thereby increasing the potential size of the market. Game ports are the most obvious way of doing this, as it costs relatively less to re-use existing gaming assets than to develop a new game from scratch. An unfortunate side-effect of this approach is that high-quality games end up with broken gameplay mechanics, due to platform limitations (such as Lego Star Wars II for the Nintendo DS).

THQ argues, however, that gamers on different platforms have different expectations, and that by focusing on the lowest common denominator, the developer ends up with a game that lacks appeal to the core segments within each platform. Instead, developers should focus on designing games that appeal to the types of gamers on each platform. This means releasing platform / segment specific titles and moving away from ports.

In bucking the latest industry trends, THQ boss Brian Farrell has stated in an interview that, "I don't mean to over-simplify this, but in the past a lot of publishers - including us - would say, 'Okay, let's make a game and get it across every system.' That's not our strategy going forward; there are going to be different gamers for the different systems. So our strategy is different types of content, segmented on who the users of the systems are."

THQ's recent games have included S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Company of Heroes, Titan Quest, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.

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24 Comments

renegadesx

2 years ago

Anybody on this site consider this bad news? I think it's terrific. I for one hate ports, every now and then you get a nice one (I didn't mind Splinter Cell for the Wii) but its mostly pathetic Xbox 360/PS3 ports could work as impart from the SIXAXIS, they basically do the same thing (Live/PSN, hardcore graphics, advanced AI etc) but the others? forget it.

Both the Wii and PSP are classic examples of trying to get games out that are just cheap PS2 ports when they will sell just fine on the PS2 while the others need origional content

admeister

2 years ago

renegadesx wrote

Anybody on this site consider this bad news? I think it's terrific.

Sounds great to me. Ports aren't always bad (there's examples of this), however platform specific games are generally superior, at least IMO. The only bad thing that comes from this is a reduced rate of game releases, since they now have to focus hard on developing unique games for each console, a time consuming process. We'll soon see whether this pays off or not.

emech

2 years ago

But if course platform specific titles returns us to platform wars (sega VS nintnedo, nintendo VS sony etc) --- but they are correct in that each of the major platforms for this generation each over wildly different play mechaincs, so dedicated versions will always be preferrable to shoe-horned ports....

Skiller

2 years ago

admeister wrote

The only bad thing that comes from this is a reduced rate of game releases, since they now have to focus hard on developing unique games for each console, a time consuming process. We'll soon see whether this pays off or not.

Unless you count each platform release of a game as a seperate game you will actually see an increase in the number of unique games. I spend nearly half of my time making sure the changes to the game I'm working on work for PS2 after already having made sure the Win32 build works.
For each additional platform you release on it adds a significant ammount of time and effort to get it working, often things that work well on one platform fail miserably on another. You need to spend alot of time tracking down why it doesn't work on that platform and then figure out if it's possible to fix and how.

If you only work on one platform then it's all nice and easy, if it works it works move on to the next task, if not you only need to fix it once. It also allows for more reliable and easier to manage code which means less time is spent looking for bugs, and the code only needs to be optimized for the target platform instead of 2+ platforms which means it'll run faster sooner.

This means that you can get a game to a really good quality significantly faster, and that obviously means you can pump out more and better quality games

.

So I'm all for it

(tho I'm a little biased as it'll mean less work for me

and I got all current consoles (except PSP

) and a beefy laptop anyway).

A13x

2 years ago

Very good news. I'm sick to death of all the ports these days, there is almost always no cross play between the platforms, and advantages of each platform are less likely to be taken advantage of if a game is produced to satisfy the needs of each machine.

Currently it seems ports are developed as two separate titles, one for the "last gen" graphic systems, Wii, PS2 and PSP, and one for the more advanced graphical systems, 360 and PS3, with a possible third development for the DS. The obvious problem with not being platform specific for the entire development of the game is evident when you see the lowest powered system dragging the chain for the others around it.

When you start seeing the same models in a game across PSP, PS2 and Wii there is no doubt a problem. Despite the varying graphic abilities across the platforms, it is easier to share the assets across the titles rather than having them redeveloped for each individual console, and the subsequent development time is reduced considerably.

If a developer was to focus on individual consoles whilst making the game, certain features could be shaped more to take advantage of the system, for example higher resolution video, textures and a more dense game world on a PS3 title, actually making use of the blu ray format that is talked so highly of because of its added disc space.

Platform specific titles from a sales point of view wouldn't reach as wide of an audience than one ported across all major platforms, the development costs would however be cheaper than having the developers and testers work to ensure compatibility across the board, and the cost would be considerably less than if a game was to be made for all platforms with independant developments. So it has been accepted that the easiest way to make a buck in gaming is to make a popular franchise, say FIFA, then release across all platforms keeping assets the same as much as possible, then rinse and repeat once a year with as short a development time as possible for each new increment.

Thank god for first parties.

ugh the boot

2 years ago

This is awesome news! All of my favourite games were designed for the platform it was originally released on specifically that's why they're so polised.

I'm gonna do my best to try and support THQ and it's future releases just because of the stance they're taking! Well done THQ....awesome stuff!! EA and Ubisoft take note!

drinniol

2 years ago

Let's hope others pick up on this, and we get more effort between the console owners to entice third parties with methods other than $$$.

ittekimasu

2 years ago

well i'm really happy that they have broken away from the port trend.

sure some will say that it might start the console wars, but if people have all three consoles, it leaves them picking which one game they are going to choose for what console, at least if they constantly make seperate (different) games for each console then i can only imagine that it will be really good for the consumer who has each console and can always have a wide selection of different games to choose from instead of ports.

The Brett

2 years ago

I honestly miss the days where you could have true console allegiance, as games were developed specifically for platforms very regularly. Today, it's increasingly hard to justify multiple console purchases, unless you want to "pay $650 to play Halo 3" or "pay $1000 to play MGS4." I know, for one, that THQ's great PC releases recently have forced me back onto the PC scene with renewed enthusiasm, something I mightn't have done had the same games been available elsewhere.

Karai Pantsu

2 years ago

ittekimasu wrote

...it will be really good for the consumer who has each console and can always have a wide selection of different games to choose from instead of ports.

Of course, the flip-side to this is that it'll be really crap for the vast majority of consumers for whom buying all three (or five if you want to branch that far) console is not an option. As much as I hate shovelware, it serves a purpose and helps to keep the games industry profitable.
I don't think that it'd be viable, or wise, for all major studios to stop doing multi-platform releases.

Qbert

2 years ago

I'm worried that THQ will merely make console specific Wii games targeted at kids under 12 or some crap like that. Other than that, the idea is good, let's hope that some great games come out of it.

R3ND3R3D

2 years ago

This is good news and bad news for me. It's only bad for me if i don't have the console.

And yeah, i agree with emech, this might/will cuz a big console war.

ittekimasu

2 years ago

If all dev's started performing like this it might force me to purchase other consoles where i feel the need for the 'must have' game. Instead i wait patiently and wait for a port, gets boring since i really would love a wii just waiting for that must have game for it. (looking at you smash bro's)

realitybites

2 years ago

Last gen was my last for buying every home console just to play a specific game or maybe a specific franchise of games.

So if it doesn't appear on on a Sony or MS console than I will be missing out on the Wii fun.

THQ is probably right in some aspects although movie tie ins is probably a huge exception to their rule.

Its made EA the largest publisher so I'm not entirely convinced that its not a workable model if done correctly. That doesn't mean I think their games are good but is it a workable business model.

On the other hand is this political correct speech to say hey maybe we won't support certain platforms unless their is a great business case.

The Brett

2 years ago

Last gen was also the last for me in buying all consoles. The Gamecube taught me that you have to earn a buyer's purchase, not win it based off past merits. The 360 is a powerhouse at the moment, but the Wii just hasn't quite made it yet. PS3 has proven itself to me also, but that's more because of its multimedia functions than its current library.

Souless

2 years ago

This is fanatstic news, i hate ports i find most of them useless. I own all 3 machines so its all good for me, i can see how people can miss out on a good game but there should be just an equel original game for there system. But me i can own them all

Mu whahaha.

Anyway, as long as the have good quality titles on each system, then ill be happy.

Eyce

2 years ago

Here's hoping the rest of the industry will be sheep.

doofus

2 years ago

Ha ha; I love the first link in the "Related Articles" section:

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 on the way - 31 Mar, 2007
On just about every system.

lordofthesheep

2 years ago

Indeed, this is very good news, and I believe that console wars are actually a quite good thing, as long as it doesn't kill any of the players. If different groups are competing over everything, then the consumer will win.

A13x

2 years ago

You know what they say about competition

Jaws

2 years ago

A brilliant move. Lets hope more companies follow suit. Im sick to sh*t of ports. Its just the easy way out when it comes to generating cash. This means less focus on developing an engrossing title.

Kaboth

2 years ago

Damn THQ is triggering my new pc envy

Titan Quest and Company of Heroes make me jealous.

I'm not sure this will be a more profitable move for THQ but if they keep making such great games many people will buy them none the less.

Jaws

2 years ago

Definately! Word of mouth is a great thing, but is a little more obscure when it comes to selling games.. especially PC ones. Take a look at Beyond Good & Evil, and to a lesser extent; Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.

If THQ pulls it off right, this shift will benefit them greatly.

the doag

2 years ago

Its great news for gamers because most of the recent ports have just been sub-standard. Unfortunately this is a risky financial move that i hope wont ruin their business.

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